or
SO
ISTING
r
From 14-17 October, the gargantuan Tranway building will be utterly transiormed - and not by some esoteric Installation. The Pollokshields Mela Is the biggest Asian arts and entertainment iestivai outside lndla and Pakistan, and is the closest you’ll get to the atmosphere at the subcontinent without stepping on a plane to Delhi. There will be stalls selling indian goods oi all descriptions - those that Indians themselves buy, not lust the endless skirts and tops produced tor the Western market. There will be arts and craits demonstrations - henna hand painting, weaving and block printing; tapes and videos irom the indian iilm industry; and a iull programme oi traditional, modern and hybrid periormances oi dance and music. The whole event is to be competed, roadshow style, by iiadlo Kranti, the iirst and only Asian radio production unit In Scotland.
Amongst the highlights are the increasingly popular bhangra bands with their accompanying dance troupes; Indian rap groups including
the six to thirteen-yearrohis called the Bad Shes; wonderiully atmospheric
1 awali singing irom Abdul Iimid (made ! famous in Britain by or Andy Kershaw i and llusrat Fateh Ali Khan); and the
1 extraordinary ilorinder Singh irom
; Wales. lie Is the world’s only Sikh Elvis ! impersonator: he’s got the looks, the 1 voice, the catsuiis, and a turban and : heard to boot.
The Mela will not only provide
entertainment ior the 64.1!!! Show
‘Apna Piniiab Girlie 6n. pnriermatineia'
Asian community In Scotland, who are shockingly overlooked by the mainstream arts establishment, according to Artistic Director Snbash Singh Pall. it will also provide an opportunity ior native Scots to discover and share the incredibly rich cultural iiie that exists among the Asian community in Britain, and to engender a bit more understanding. There is certainly plenty oi ignorance about. Singh Pall and partner Snnneet Matte have battled with bodies such as Mayiest to get more Asian acts included, but have got nowhere: ‘They don’t want to know because there have been Ilops in the past. But that is because they didn’t do their research and marketing properly. There is no point putting on some classical dancer irom a part oi India that no one here comes irom - unless you lust want an audience at highbrow whites. When we have put on concerts by the really popular entertainers, they have been absolutely heaving.’ (Catherine Fellows) Mela Is at Tranway daily irom 14-17 October, noon-10pm.
This section gives details oi selected events taking place In and around the Central Belt oi Scotland this iortnigiit. Events are listed by area and then alphabetically. All submissions should be accompanied by a contact phone number ior our inionnation. Days out compiled by Thom liibdin.
BORDERS
I BORDERS FESTIVAL Fri 15—Sun 31. Various venues. The Borders’ very own celebration of its unique heritage with a programme encompassing story-telling. music. drama and exhibitions in venues ranging from large historic houses to intimate village halls. Full details and brochure of events from Selkirk Tourist ‘lnfonnation Centre. Halliwells House Close. Selkirk. phone 0750 20054.
THE NORTH
I ABERDEEN ALTERNATIVE FESTIVAL Thurs i4—Sun 24. various venues in Aberdeen. Contact: 0224 635 822. See backlist feature.
LOTHIANS & FIFE
I ANTIOIIES FAIR Fri 15-Sun 17. 10am—6pm (10am—5pm. Sun). Hopetoun House. South Queensferry. £2.50 (kids and car parking free). Over 34 traders will be squeezed into the State Ballroom and Tapestry room of H0petoun. bringing you all sorts of 100 year old delights. from antique glass. furniture and porcelain to Scottish ceramics. jewellery and silver. Entry also allows you an out-of-season glimpse of the Adam mansion with its paintings by Gainsborough. Raebum and Canaletto and rooftop viewing platform
; with panoramic views of the Forth
i Bridges.
I BAIRNHOOO Sat 9. 9.30am—3. 15pm. 3 Daikeith Ans Centre. Daikeith. £3.
i Details from Midlothian Destrict Libraries { on 031 440 2210. An unashamedly
? nostalgic day conference for grown ups.
3 giving participants the opportunity to
l glimpse life from a baim’s perspective
! and to recall the days of their own childhood. History. childhood memories. poetry. song and film will all be used to
re-evoke memories of childhood and
youth. The day finishes with a showing of 5 .The Kidnappers at 1.30pm.
I CAMRA BEER FESTIVAL Thurs 7—Sat 9. (Thurs: 4-11pm. Fri/Sat: llam—l 1pm. Meadowbank Sports Centre. London Road. £2. The biggest beer festival in Scotland boasts a 200-ft bar with 75 hand- pulled beers on offer. Besides Adnams Extra. the champion beer of Britain. every Scottish brewery apart from S&N will be represented. from Heather beer to Borne beer from Aberdeenshire. which is normally only sold in their own pub. Your entrance fee gets you a commemorative half pint mug. which in keeping with CAMRA’s campaign. is larger than normal so you get a full measure of beer with the head as extra Mine’s a pint of Witches Brew! Food available and full entertainment rogramme.
I NATURE IN E ME Fri 8—Sun 10. 7—10pm (Fri). 9am-10pm (Sat), 10am—5pm (Sun). Roxburghe Hotel. Charlotte Square. Edinburgh. £135. Cathryn Corbett is a Franciscan. a mystic and a metaphysician who wants to attract and challenge highly moral and thinking people to think again — and take action! These three days of seminars will be covering a wide variety of topics. mostly leading towards ‘our responsibility and ability to take care of Mother Earth’. The
aim of the weekend is for participants to leave with an understanding of the law of balance and the law of the circle. which ‘when applied. can heal the world.’
STRATHCLYOE
I ALTERNATIVE HEALTH EXINBITION Sat 9. 10am—5.30pm/Sun 10. Ham—5.30pm. City Halls. Candleriggs. Glasgow. £3 (£2) per day, £5 (£3) for the weekend. The whole range of ‘alternative’. complementary and holistic healthcare will be on display. With various talks and workshops over the weekend and over 90 stalls it’s a good opportunity to stock up on those oil and herb supplies. new-age tapes. crystals and Tai Chi books. Tune your body and mind with therapies — from
r the aromatic to the organic - which would
i once have been dismissed as quackery but , which are now so popular that they should
really be listed as mainstream. Alternatively. there are stalls from the Banana Chairs. Aura Soma Colour Healing and The Bates Method (not to be tried in a motel showerl). Wholefood cafe and creche run by the Glasgow Steiner School.
I ANTIOIES ROAOSHOW Thurs 21. 10am—4pm. Motherwell Concert Hall, Civic Centre. Motherwell. Free. Get digging in that attic. 'cos the Antique Roadshow’s coming to town! Will your granny’s coliectables be worth the fortune you always suspected and earn your greedy grin a place on the telly or will they turn out to be a load of old tat and your bitter disappointment create amusement for the millions of watching sadists? There’s only one way to tell . . . I FOOTBALL MEMORABIIA ANTI“ Wed 20. from 11am. Christie’s, 164 Bath Street. Glasgow. The 319 lots offered for sale include medals and jerseys awarded
to Rangers’ players Dougie Gray. Nicol Smith and Alan Morton as well as an extensive selection from the former Arsenal. Liverpool and England player Ray Kennedy.
I HALLOWEEN FUN AND FRIOHTS Sat 16—Sun 24. 10am—5pm. Summerlee HeritageTnist. West Canal Street. Coatbridge. 0236 431261. Free. The very excellent twenty acre museum displaying over 200 years of Scottish industry and people gets a bit spooky in time for Halloween. While you visit the museum’s delights. leave the kids in the capable hands of the Trust’s own facepainters. but don’t be surprised if they come back looking like bats! Besides face painting there‘s the opportunity to make your own Halloween lantern or card (complete with pop-up bat). and design a scary mask.
I MOTHERWELL BEER FESTIVAL Fri 8. 5—1 1pm. Sat 9. liam—l 1pm. Motherwell Concert Hall. Motherwell. Free. Over 40 draught and bottled beers from around the world on sale for you real-ale junkies! Lovers of Belgian beer are in fOr a special treat. with fruit beers. spiced beers. a Trapist beer and even a Belgian Guinness on offer. Food available to line the stomach while you sip. sip. sip away.
I MOOERN HOMES EXHIBITION Fri 8-Sun 24. 10am—9pm (Weekdays: 11am—7pm). SECC Glasgow. £4.50 (£2.50). All the house-proud home-buyer (or even potential mortgage shopper) could want in the way of innovative house products - under one roof. Thrill at the Garden Vac that shchiooshes up those untidy leaves and worms. Gasp at the stylish ltalian Glass Cube TV screen. Gaze in awe at the hidden TV cameras that can flash the image of your visitors onto your TV screen. Hey. there's even the latest in fridge and oven design and an imitation Wimpy Home to show you the shape of boxes to come. in a ‘show within a show’ there’s a fashion, fitness and lifestyle feature in three of the halls. A fashion spectacular takes place five times a day in the new 750 seat arena. with a special show put on by Cruise Clothes on Sun 17 at 4pm. Finally. the ultimate boudoir trimming for the serious couch potato comes in the form of an automatic curtain
rail.
I ROYAL NATIONAL MOO Fri 15—Fri 22. Various venues around Airdrie. Details from 0236 765929. The high point of the Gaelic calender comes to Airdrie. with the [Olst Mod. All sorts of competitions for music. drama and the spoken word. all in Gaelic.
I SCOTTISH OANCESPOR'I OISCO ANO ROCK 'N’ ROLL CHAMPIONSHIPS Sun 17. Ham—6pm. Plaza Ballroom. Glasgow. £3.50 (50p). It’s the Scottish titles day for the rock ’n' roll and disco lovers at SADA. Teams, pairs and solo dancers will be dressing up in their finest sequins to shake it round that ballroom.
The List 8—21 October I993 83